One Gear One Mind is a phrase that has gotten me through more than one or two troubling times, and always gets me through to the finish line. Both single speeds and Endurance races are about commitment and seeing a decision through to its completion. This blog is about single speeds, endurance racing and all of lifes little lessons, I hope you enjoy it.

Sunday, January 30, 2005

Well it has been a bit since I posted, I have been on the bike and the computer in an effort to round up interest in the trans rockies. There are two guys interested and it seems like it may happen. The big diffuculty as it always has been with trying to do this race is the price of entry, and then all the other expenses that add up along the way. This is a race of a lifetime, and I plan to do everything in my power to make it a reality. Donations anyone? Ideas? Let me know. I will post more when more is finalized. www.transrockies.com is the website for all those interested.
Rode 50 miles yesterday with Katarina Hunusova of the Luna Chix fame, and my friend Nate Simonson, who is trainig for a bunch of Xterras and has traveled with me to most of the 100 mile races that I have done. We rode out towards Pyramid Lake, beautiful ride, but oohhh so cold. We were a little frozen by the end of the ride. I felt good considering and an going nordic sking today and tommarrow. Not much else to report. Details to come when races become more of a reality. I must say that I wish I were going to Tucson in a few weeks for the 24 hr race.

Thursday, January 27, 2005

I am so relieved right now, my mind and body finally seem like one again, instead of the sickness I feel the goodness. I am currnetly trying to finalize the details of next season. If there is another single speeder out there who would like to compete in the Trans Rockies please contact me, this would be a monumental experience, but well worth all the pain and suffering. That said I am doing the Cream Puff, www.puff100.netfirms.com , the e100 www.thee100.com and am seriously considering the Kokopelli race. I dont think that I will do any 24 hrs of adrenalin races, but I do plan on doing 1 or 2 granny gear races, www.grannygear.com and I think I am going to do the Kona Sleepless in the saddle race. Nuff for now, I have more slush to ride through. My grey Surly steamroller, www.surly.com looks more brown and tan from all the crud on the streets. Ciao for now.

Wednesday, January 26, 2005

I dont know how many of you out there have tried this stuff, Hammer Nutritions, HEED sports drink, but it is great, lite and easy to digest, and the flavor allows it to go down really well. I have used it both while nordic sking and while ripping around town, and it just works. It isnt all thick like some drinks, not much else to say, I like it.

Well the fog has lifted a little bit but now a storm is rolling in dropping some nice rain in the area while temps are in the mid thirties. I went to a yoga class the other day, very refreshing I might add, I came out refreshed. I wanted it to be more poses and stretching, but the breathing will help with the cycling. I rode my bike around town the last two days, and felt good, this is very positve for me. Work has been slow and the people have been somewhat real, not all fake as they sometimes can be. MOney does silly things to some people.
Got the new Agnostic Front cd yesterday and hope to get the now Street Dogs album today. Not much else to report, just trying to get it done. Speaking of getting it done, Larry the Cable Guy comes to reno next week, too bad its on a Saturday, those are darn near impossible to get off.

Sunday, January 23, 2005

I must say that the weather here in Reno with the fog and this nasty inversion layer that we have suckc, and does nothing for the motivation. As you may have guessed by now I am not one of those people with a training schedule that I must stick to. I for my own sanity must have fun that is the number one consideration for me, the racing is also for fun. Of course I want to push the envelope and my physical limits but I am fairly flexible as far as the training goes. That said skate sking is probably the hardest work out I have ever done, it is very fun as well, and since the weather in Truckee is so awsome right now, i.e sunny and in the high 50s, it is where I want to be. Plus this gives my mind a rest from the bike, no worries I will be back on it soon, and most of my errands are still done on the fixie, although it is pretty scary out there, because the snow has yet to melt and due to the inversion there are tons of icy spots to look out for. All you cyclists that live in cold climate should really give skate sking a chance, it is amazing, in the cardio deparment, plus it mixes the training up and will help to avoid burnout. I still have the sickness as I have come to call it now, it just keeps mutating, and nothing gets rid of it, sleep, rest, exersise, nothing matters, now I have green snot and a hacking cough, but I have decided since nothing helps it, I am going to keep riding and skating and attempting to get some form, it is sooooo early that I am not too worried yet, but the sickness does need to leave as I am sick and tired of dealling with it. THats all for now.

Thursday, January 20, 2005

I have never experienced this kind of illness in my life, bits and pieces of it, but never such an overriding experience as the one in which I am in right now. I am fighting with god knows what and I hate to sound like a broken record, but I am hating it right now. I would love to be telling you how great I feel and all that I have been doing, but in all honesty I have been here in the house illin, quite literally, NO post for a while because I have not had much to talk about or report, and I hate to keep beating a dead horse. I imagine sometime in the near future here I will get out of this funk and be right back at it, but not right now. I have been working and sleeping and not much else. I hate feeling like this it is the absolute worst, lowest of the low. I am trying to maintain a positive outlook and not to worry about the upcoming season too much, but a racers mind is not always easy to quiet when things are so down. I thought it was overtraining, but I am convinced that I am fighting something, and not just a mental demon, but a very tough physical demon. My throat feels like a cats tounge and I no fun to be around. I am sorry to bore you with details of my illness, but I have not much else to report. The weather here has been so fog laiden and the streets are a mess, no shoulders to ride on anyways. the fog seems to be lifting today, as for the past couple days tahoe and truckee have been warmer than reno, some inversion layer or something. that and today our fearless leader who is hell bent on destroying the planet got sworn in today, god what a depressing thought. Four more years, that just plain hurts. Enough is enough.

Tuesday, January 11, 2005

I have been hanging out eating and drinking whatever I want, this is a larger motivator for getting back to the training. Falling out of the training routine helps me to find motivation for the upcoming season. It is like a rededication of sorts. I look forward to the upcoming season and all that it has to offer. I am currently waiting to hear from sponsors for the upcoming season, when I have all the info I will post it here. I am still trying to plan the upcoming seasons races and trying some new and exciting things. I wish that I had my bike with me here in Seattle the weather has been cold, but good i.e not raining or snowing. I had the pleasure of going to POrt Townsend on the Olympic penninsula yesterday, man the riding looks sick, and the town and culture were amazing. Mountains and the ocean, just great. We visited our friends brewery, it was really tasty and had wonderful arciteceture, the bar itself was fantastic, the wood work was very intrecate. I used to work with Mark at the Big Time Brewery here in Seattle, he has done an amazing job with his bar. Good times, and good beer, when and if you are ever in Port Townsend stop by and raise a pint. Well its back to Reno and reality tommarrow, and my rededication to training and the upcoming season. Peace.

Sunday, January 09, 2005

I cant seem to get away from the snow. THis morning when I got up I could see blue sky, that was a nice change, although I got on a plane headed for Seattle for a little hiatis from the snow, and guess what. It snowed here in the city. I cant get away from it. You know what they say if you cant beat them join them. When I return to Reno I plan to ski and enjoy what rarely happens in Reno. Snow. I am getting psyched to get back on the bike, as I am afraid that in my relax and recoup time I have gained some unwanted lbs. Well thank god its only early January, I have plenty of time to get my form back. Well I am going to get my Cream Puff entry in the mail tommarrow, and start to plan the rest of the season. Right now I have my girlfriends crazy dog trying to lick my face. Thats all for now, sorry not more to report. Except that the snow is following me. Ahhhhh.

Saturday, January 08, 2005

Well the weather is just henious here in REno, the most snow in 150 years, to me that probably dates back to when they started keeping records. That said I have had some time off work and with my trip to Seattle tommarrow by the time I get back to work I will have had 6 days off, more time than I have had off in quite some time. This year is dedicated to believing in me, in the common good and all that the world has to offer. I am dedicating myself to taking care of myself and to continue down this path that I have choosen. I am back in the drivers seat after feeling totally worthless and fucked for the last little while. Madness. I just get so filled with self hatred and indecision at times that I cant tell what end is up and I start to think that I have lost it, and that nothing really matters. Does it really matter to anyone but me that I ride my bike every where, and then I come to the conclusion that I like it and it makes me feel good so I am going to keep doing it. I love the feeling of riding somewhere that I could have driven, I love that, it makes me feel so alive, when I drive somewhere I just feel stuck and it drives me crazy, I love the wind, and all the smells associtated with being on a bike. It is indescribable how good it makes me feel. I am charged and ready to ride again, mind you I will get out and ride in the snow if it keeps this up for much longer but the storm is supposed to clear by Monday afternoon or Tuesday, I return from Seattle on Wednesday so hopefully I will get a ski in that afternoon and then it is back to the grind of work. I almost through with paying my debt off, I cant wait until I am out of the red and back in the black. I have changed how I live so drastically in the last year it is crazy, I am happier and even though I just went through one of the darkest times I can remember i had a better perspective and learned, I still felt alive and feel like I rose to the occassion as best I could. I am commited to further self exploration and growth. There is more of that hippie in me seaping out, well that said I hope to post from SEattle, but may not, as I will be spending time with my girlfriend and enjoying some good food and good times. Best wishes to all in 2005, we as cyclists should all try to drive less in the upcoming year, just commiting to that would be great. Peace

Friday, January 07, 2005

Well here I sit, and again it is snowing like mad outside. The national weather association has a winter storm warning in effect until Monday and is predicting 1 to 3 feet of snow in that time. Considering that I have already recieve near 8 inches since this morning I am getting the feeling that it is going to be closer to 3 than one. So I am getting all the emails that I possible can done today and calling around about yoga. I feel like such a fucking hippie talking about yoga, but I have heard that it works wonders so this tattooed punk rock loving soul is working on the mental aspect of training, and feeling somewhat like a hippie in the process. But the big story here is snow. Well at least once this clears the restaurant will be busy because we have so much snow. Today I am talking on the phone and burning tons of music, what else is there to do, I dont have a t.v or should I say idiot box to watch, later I will settle in to the book I have been reading, it is quite an inspiration, called Swimming to Antartica, by Lynne Cox. She is a very amazing woman who swims in cold water. I cant imagine, but her passion is inspiring and it is motivating me to stay focused on the goal, focused on all that matters to me and meeting my goals.
Anyone out there heading to Cream Puff? Those of us who have done it already can print the registration begining January 10th, all of you fighting for a spot open registration forms can be printed on February 7th, get ready to run to the post office if you hope to retain a spot, priority mail is the option. I also had a very nice conversation with Boris the promoter of the Endurance 100, this is a great race, he is super enthusiastic and the course speaks for itself, a challange just to finish, and one of the most spectaclar races I have ever ridden. All those racers seeking a challange should seriously consider this one. Not much else to report other than i wish the snow would stop falling so that I could see some sun for a change.
Yesterday I skated for about 2 hrs, a little more and I just love it. It is a great way to get outside and enjoy. If it were like this all the time I would be forced to exersise indoors, luckily it isnt because I just dont like exersising indoors, it is like fingernails on the chalkboard. Thats enough for now enjoy.

Thursday, January 06, 2005

My blood tests came back to me yesterday right before work and according to the doc I should be in great health, my body is not fighting off any form of infection. Well is was a relief in one way and scary in another. I can be stubborn, stubborn enough to ignore bodily signs of fatigue. I will not be so foolish in the upcoming year. That said I got up late this morning and decided that I would go to Tahoe Donner for some skate sking, my first such venture of the season as we had very little snow for so long and now we have lots. I had a great time, my body and mind both felt great, I was pressed for time so I only skied for a short time about and hour and 15 mins, I think that I am heading back tommarrow for some more fun in the snow. It was a great change the cold wind on my face, just totally different than anything that I have done recently. I look forward to some more sking here in the coming weeks, it is my plan to not ride my bike for a little while here, or to ride it very sparingly in the upcoming month and to just do some other things, the season is long and I have plenty of time to ride my bike in the upcoming months, plus the snow is great and there is a lot of it here in reno so riding around is a tricky propositon. Tommarrow is my first day off in seven I look forward to relaxing and getting some things in order. More sking, and hopefully some yoga next week. Good times.

Monday, January 03, 2005

After last night at the restaurant I am unsure of what to expect for the rest of the week, we were sooooo busy and understaffed and we all expected to be slow, but it was Sunday night. Typically Sunday night diners are cheap, that wasnt necessarily the problem last night it was that I had thought all the holiday assholes had gone home, instead they were out in force. Enough bitching about that, the good thing is I made some money although it was extemly difficlult. I joked about needing to sow handles to my socks, so at least I would have something to grab on to. Ha ha.
I went to get my blood drawn today as the sore throat and weakened condition dont seem to be leaving anytime soon and I am hoping that the test will provide some answers, the word mono has been thrown around, I hope that is not the case, but I do have some of the symptoms. I am hoping to have some answers tommarrow or the next day. They always say they can get the results the next day, but you know how doctors are. So I have no answers, but due to the snow I think that I am going to get some skate sking in soon, and I have decided that I am going to do some yoga and meditation as well, to help with the mental side of racing and training, and just plain making it through the day sometimes. Thats all for now, more when I have some answers.

Sunday, January 02, 2005

So Reno is under more snow than it has been in 15 years, there is about 3 feet of snow in my yard. I moved here to get out of the large snows. So it has basically paralyzed the city, they just dont have that kind of snow management system. I think they have somewhere in the vicinity of 18 plows for the whole city, of which 3 are broken and more than half are not equipped to plow this much snow. This makes my 35 mile commute to the restaurant a long one, actually the funniest part about that is Mount Rose is easier to navigate and better plowed than a majority of Reno. Good Times. The skate sking should be good and for someone like me that has trouble controling their urge to rest and not be on the bike it is good, because riding right now would be fun, but all the snow makes it easy to do other things, I actually feel motivated to do other things.
That said I have been sick for awhile now, the glands in my throat have been enlarged and the such, so I finally gave in and went to the ear nose throat guy, well he thinks that it might be mono, this would be bad so bad, but he also didn't say much else other than I need blood work and a cat scan of my sinuses to see what more he can determine. So as of late I have been doing nothing but working and sleeping, lots of sleep because if it truly is mono I have to ride it out there is very little that they can do, I am hoping that is not the case because I want to be healthy and to move on, but I guess I have to stop fighting it and believe that it is all part of the plan and that by giving in and being present in my body I will get through it in a better place. By riding the strom as opossed to fighting the flow my mind and body will rest and at the end of it all I will be ready to attack next season rested and alive in both my body and mind. That is the only position I see fit, because by not fightiing it my mood has lifted mentally and I am feeling a little better, still not great but a little better.

About Me

In the city or in the country, the bottom line is I like bikes and they have been good to me. I fell in love with them and it is all consuming, fixies and singlespeeds are my favorite, 1 is all you need. So this year I got sick and didnt race but knowing I would get better and all that came from the illness helped me grow in leaps and bounds. I love tough races, and the satisfaction that comes from finishing. One gear One mind, clarity.